1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a cutting device and a tape printing apparatus equipped therewith.
2. Related Art
Heretofore, a tape printing apparatus has been known which carries out a printing on, while feeding, a tape-like member wherein a printing tape (coated with an adhesive) and release paper are stacked, and when the printing is finished, cuts off a portion on which the printing is done, making a label. The label made is used by stripping the printing tape from the release paper, and affixing it to a desired affixing surface. Also, the cutting has a full cutting, which cuts both the printing tape and release paper of the tape-like member by means of a full cutter, and a half cutting which cuts either the printing tape or release paper by means of a half cutter. By carrying out the half cutting, it is possible to make it easy to strip the printing tape from the release paper.
Structures of a full cutting device and half cutting device incorporated in the tape printing apparatus include, for example, JP-A-2002-103281.
With JP-A-2002-103281, the full cutting device, being configured including a fixed blade and a movable blade pivotably supported on the fixed blade via a pivot, carries out the full cutting in the form of scissors. Also, the half cutting device is configured including a half cutter, which has a cutter blade configured of an inclined blade, and a cutter operation mechanism, which causes the half cutter to carry out a circulatory movement circulating through a cutting stand-by position, a cutting start position, a cutting completion position, and a withdrawal position, and returning to the cutting stand-by position, wherein the half cutter moves in a width direction of the tape-like member, and carries out the half cutting on the tape-like member.
However, with JP-A-2002-103281, as a cutting device is configured including a full cutting device, which carries out the full cutting, and a half cutting device, which carries out the half cutting, separately, there is a problem in that the cutting device becomes larger in size. Along with this, there is a problem in that the tape printing apparatus including the cutting device also becomes larger in size. Consequently, there has been a demand for a cutting device with which it is possible to share the full cutting device and half cutting device, and it is possible to achieve a miniaturization, and for a tape printing apparatus including the cutting device. Also, when the full cutting device and half cutting device are shared, there is a problem in that the tape-like member is damaged due to a movement for a return operation. In particular, when the half cutting is carried out, there is a problem in that the half-cut tape-like member is damaged due to a movement of a cutter blade for the return operation thereof.
Consequently, there has been a demand for a cutting device with which it is possible to achieve a miniaturization by sharing the full cutting device and half cutting device, and safely carry out the return operation of the cutter blade without damaging the tape-like member, and for a tape printing apparatus including the cutting device.